A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to ban three news outlets from the White House grounds, ordering the restoration of access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The ruling marks the latest development in an escalating dispute between Trump and media organisations whose coverage he has criticised.
Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the outlets of publishing what he called “fake news.” He has also recently described negative media coverage as dangerous to the country.
The affected outlets argued that they had been targeted because of the content of their reporting, describing the restrictions as viewpoint discrimination and a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said the media organisations had met the legal requirements for a temporary restraining order, including demonstrating a likelihood of success on the merits of their case and the possibility of irreparable harm without court intervention.
“This is a high bar, but Plaintiffs have met it,” Kelly wrote.
The judge, who was nominated by Trump in 2017, heard arguments on Wednesday but concluded the hearing without issuing a ruling.
Kelly subsequently issued a temporary restraining order that will remain in effect for 14 days. Such orders are generally intended to preserve the existing situation while the court conducts a more detailed review of the case.
The judge previously ordered the restoration of access for a CNN journalist in a similar case in 2018.
